RL01 Ramco Laguiole
Introduced in 1994 the Ramco/ Laguiole is a knife that was produced using the well- known laguiole style from the French wine-districts paired with Spyderco's well- known quality thinking and high- quality workmanship. The Spyderco Laguiole has a Mar-McBurnette frontlock and a Black Micarta handle with brass liners. The Bee on top of the knife was redesigned by Sal Glesser to make it a little more "bug- like". The knife was produced for Spyderco under the RAMCO Label in Seki City, Japan. The Laguiole was discontinued in 1995. The Laguiole by Spyderco is considered a Spyderco by some collectors and not by others. The fact that it's made by order of Spyderco and came in Spyderco boxes makes this author believe it is indeed a Spyderco, even without the trademark Spyderco hole opener in the blade.
Appearance in catalogs
The Spyderco Ramco-Laguiole appears in the 1994 catalogs
Designer
Late French-canadian knifedesigner Denis LeMaire
History, mentionings from the forums etc.
Some background information posted by Joyce Laituri on the Spyderco forums [1]
"Denis Lemaire was an creative French Canadian cutlery designer, maker, and friend of Spyderco. In the early '90s Spyderco made a French-style Laguiole model which Denis had engineered and designed. He was adept at producing innovative concepts and was well-acquainted with French influenced cutlery designs. A folder named the AKMA was one of his inventions and is produced today by Florinox Cutlery of Thiers, France.
The Spyderco Laguiole debuted as a high-tech version of a time-honored design. It featured:
~ A front lock (developed by Al Mar and Harvey McBurnette), the first ever lock-back Laguiole ~ A handle of black Micarta with brass liners ~ Blade steel was G-2 ~ The traditional Laguiole "bee" found its' appearance underwent a subtle, buggy make-over ~ Notably absent were the Spyderco round hole and a pocket clip ~ Notably present, Spyderco serrations ~ It came with a tooled leather belt sheath ~ Spyderco's French design was manufactured under the Ramco label in Seki City, Japan The Laguiole was discontinued in 1995-1996 and the MSRP at that time was $119.95, the sheath $19.95.
Strange knife, a French design, Americanized with serrations and made in Japan...."
It's also worth noting the traditional bee on the handle is somewhat redesigned looking a bit more like a Bug
Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web
Not listed.
Variations
Variations of the RL01 Ramco Laguiole
| SKU | Handle | Edge | Steel | From/To | MSRP | Note | Number made | Grind | Clip | Clip positions | Collectors club |
| RL01P | Black Micarta with brass liners | PE | GIN-1/G-2 | 1994-1995 | 119,95$ | features a specially designed "Bee" logo on the spine | Hollow grind | leather sheath | N/A | ? | |
| RL01S | Black Micarta with brass liners | SE | GIN-1/G-2 | 1994-1995 | 119,95$ | features a specially designed "Bee" logo on the spine | Hollow grind | leather sheath | N/A | ? | |
| RL01C | Tooled leather sheath for the RL01 | N/A | N/A | 1994-1995 | 19,95$ | features a specially designed "Bee" logo in place of the typical Spyderco bug | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Questions regarding collecting the RL01 Ramco Laguiole
The most collectible variation is believed to be the PE in correct black and white box from Spyderco.
Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:
- Collectors club status of the RL01's?
Questions with an answer:
Technical information
Typical measurements (mm and grams) of the RL01 Ramco Laguiole:
| Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
| 219 mm | 120 mm | 99 mm | No hole | 3,0 mm | 73 g |
Typical measurements (Inches and ounces) of the RL01 Ramco Laguiole:
| Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
| 8 5/8" | N/A | 3 7/8" | No hole | N/A | 2.6 oz. |
References
Pictures
RL01S Ramco Laguiole
RL01S Ramco Laguiole
RL01S Ramco Laguiole
RL01S Ramco Laguiole
RL01S Ramco Laguiole
RL01S Ramco Laguiole
